


The Matchmakers

by starlight_and_seafire



Series: Damerey Week 2019 [6]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Meet-Cute, Modern AU, POV Rey (Star Wars), Pets, Pre-Relationship, dog park au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-24 05:36:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21094253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlight_and_seafire/pseuds/starlight_and_seafire
Summary: Dogs make everything better . . .Especially when they’re playing matchmaker.





	The Matchmakers

**Author's Note:**

> For Damerey Week Day 6: Pets

“It’s okay, Dio. Look! They’re all having fun and everyone’s playing nicely, see?”

The dachshund just huddles closer to her leg, its long brown body practically quivering with nervousness.

Rey’s heart clenches. “How about this — let’s go sit at that bench for a few minutes and we’ll see how it goes?”

The little dog looks up at her with wide, doleful eyes but follows her lead. When Rey sits on the bench, the dachshund sits too, the side of its long body pressed against her leg.

As fall marched along, daylight started leaving earlier and earlier. Still, there was enough light in the sky for a nice adventure, and so they decided on a trip to the dog park, where they could enjoy the cool and pleasant evening beneath the orange and pink streaked sky.

Rey had adopted the little dog from the shelter just a few weeks prior. The abandoned dachshund with its sad brown eyes trembling away in the corner of its kennel had pulled on her heartstrings something fierce, and she knew this was the one she was going to take home. The shelter had told her that Dio, who otherwise seemed very well trained, needed to be socialized a little more. With their advice, Rey had slowly been introducing Dio to more and more of her friends’ pets before bringing her here.

Now Rey sits on the bench with Dio pressed close, watching as the other dogs scampered playfully around with each other.

“If you want to go play, I’ll stay right here. I won’t leave you, I promise,” she says, speaking softly to the little dog.

Dio just blinks up at her and remains unmoving.

Rey reaches down and gives Dio a rub behind her ears before relaxing further onto the bench. Her eyes catch on another dog playing on the other side of the park. A corgi bounces around happily with what appeared to be a poodle for a few moments before the poodle’s owner called and it trotted sadly away, sending a forlorn look over its shoulder to the corgi.

Now alone, the corgi looks around, assessing the other dogs as if it was the most delightful thing in the world. Then, the corgi trots away to join a man sitting on a bench not twenty feet away from Rey and Dio.

She swallows hard as she takes the man in. He was easily one of the most attractive men she had seen in a long time, with his dark curly hair and leather jacket. He smiles as the corgi approaches, the movement only further emphasizing that strong jawline, and the dog happily flops onto its back as his owner gives him belly rubs.

Rey’s not usually one to get all dressed up, not even for a guy, and especially not for a trip to the dog park. But she almost wishes she put in a little effort today, instead of just throwing her hair up in a ponytail and pulling on her favorite hoodie like she usually does.

She manages to drag her eyes away from the pair away only to see Dio’s attention trained on the man and his corgi too.

Then the little dog gets up from her spot against Rey’s left leg to move to sit against her right leg, bringing her a little closer to the bench where the man and his corgi sit, and Rey just barely manages to contain her surprise.

A moment later her heart practically stops as Dio gets up once again and slowly walks forward a couple of steps before stopping again and sitting back down. She’s only moved a few feet but it’s a huge step forward.

Rey glances toward the other bench. The man is no longer rubbing the dog’s belly but now sits with his elbows resting on his knees. She thinks she sees his mouth moving, talking to the dog, but she can’t hear anything this far away.

As for the corgi, he’s flopped on his side now, face turned in their direction and eyes trained on Dio.

Dio just keeps staring at the tan and white corgi, her spine straight but no longer shivering, while the other dog pants away happily, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

She sits there in shock as Dio finally stands up and trots quickly over to the corgi. Rey doesn’t follow, doesn’t want the dachshund to think she’s worried or otherwise distract her, but she watches raptly as Dio finally stops just inches away from the corgi.

She sees the man smile at her dog and somehow instinctively knows he’ll keep an eye on Dio too. He’ll keep both dogs safe.

The corgi flops more fully onto its back, its tongue continuing to loll out of its mouth, as it lets Dio sniff at him. Finally, the dachshund gives a little hop with its short legs and then the two are bouncing around each other.

At first, they just jump around each other a little bit, never straying too far from the bench. But when the corgi takes a few steps away and looks over his shoulder at Dio, the little dachshund begins to walk forward too, the bigger dog taking care not to move faster than his littler friend can.

Rey smiles, absolutely delighted that Dio has found a friend. She glances over at the other bench to see if the corgi’s owner is watching the dogs too, only to find that he’s looking at her.

He waves when he catches her looking.

She waves back.

She quickly faces forward once more, looking at the two dogs scampering happily along the fence line, pausing every once in a while to take a long sniff at whatever draws their attention.

If Dio could introduce herself to the corgi, then she can do the same with his owner. She takes a deep breath in as she prepares to stand.

Then she sees the man walking towards her, a warm smile on his face as he approaches.

“Hello!” He calls out. “You’re the dachshund’s owner, right?”

She nods in reply.

“I’m Poe Dameron.” He sticks his hand out to shake. “I haven’t seen you two around here before.”

“I’m Rey Kenobi,” she says, shaking his hand. “I just adopted Dio a couple of weeks ago. She’s a little shy. I was hoping to get her used to socializing with other dogs.”

He gazes towards where the two dogs are playing. “Looks like she’s doing very well.”

“She was so nervous when we got here, but there was something about your dog. She was intrigued instantly.”

Poe laughs. “Bee has that effect. He’s the sweetest dog you’ll ever meet, and absolutely and completely loyal. You’d never guess that he used to be quite skittish himself.”

_Maybe that’s what drew Dio to him_, Rey thinks. Whatever it was, Dio looks completely comfortable following the other dog around, at least when she wasn’t looking at the corgi with a face full of adoration.

Then again, when she scoots over and offers Poe a seat next to her, she can’t help but be amazed at just how easy it is to talk to this man. She’s always been wary of strangers. She can count on two fingers the number of people she’s ever instantly felt comfortable with.

Now she adds a third.

Poe’s phone rings and he takes the call and she can’t help but overhear him as he talks to his father.

When he hangs up, it’s with a rueful smile as he explains that his dad wants to meet for dinner. “It’s been lovely chatting with you, Rey,” he says, and she agrees. “Hopefully I’ll see you around here sometime.”

When Bee walks out of the dog park alongside Poe, Dio cries at the gate, heartbroken. Rey runs a soothing hand along her back.

“You’ll see Bee again soon,” she tells the little dog, already regretting letting her own skittishness stop her from asking to set up a doggy play date or even for Poe’s number. “I promise,” and she hopes that she’s not wrong.

***

During their evening walk two nights later, Dio adamantly refuses to turn around, so they continue on until they reach the dog park.

Rey unclips the leash and Dio proceeds to make a circuit of the park, ignoring every dog that comes up to greet her.

When Dio returns, she looks so forlorn that Rey’s heart practically breaks for her.

She tries to console the little dog. “I know you miss your friend. Maybe they’ll be here next time.”

Dio just lets out a mournful cry.

***

The next time they go to the dog park, it’s a full week after they had met Bee and Poe. She unclips Dio’s leash and the little dog takes a few tentative steps in, not straying far from Rey as she assesses her surroundings.

Then she bolts off so quick that Rey’s jaw drops, and she wonders how Dio’s little legs can go so fast.

She spies a blur of tan and white heading in Dio’s direction and grins, already looking around for his owner. As Bee and Dio dance around each other and let out happy barks, she walks over to the man who’s currently waving at her from his position along the fence line.

“I think Bee’s just a little excited to see Dio,” Poe says in way of greeting. “He practically dragged me the entire way here when I said we were going to go to the dog park.”

Rey smiles, first at Poe and then at the two dogs rolling around with each other. “Same with Dio. The other night she refused to go home until we came here first.”

Poe gestures to a nearby bench and they settle in to watch the two dogs play. She discovers that he’s former air force and currently working at a non-profit watchdog group monitoring the loss of freedoms worldwide. She feels a little less than impressive in comparison when she mentions she’s putting herself through graduate school in aerospace engineering, but then his eyes widen and he asks her a million questions and she responds with enthusiasm, eager to talk to someone as excited about the topic as she is. He may have the practical experience of flying the planes — and she’s eager to hear more about it and tells him so — but she’s clearly more experienced in the academic and practical side of the field, and she feels a pulse of pride as she explains to him some of her research while he looks at her with a mixture of awe and respect.

As one of the few women in her field, she usually gets the opposite reaction from her male colleagues.

Conversation strays back to their dogs and they exchange funny anecdotes as the sun begins its final descent.

With one last look at the sky, she tells him, “I should probably head out, get back home before it gets too dark.”

He nods, brushing his hands against his pants as he moves to stand as well. “You’re probably right.”

She’s just about to suggest that maybe they should exchange numbers and set up a play date at the park for the two dogs, who are currently nestled beside each other in one of the few remaining patches of sunshine.

But she’s beaten to the punch by Poe. “Do you want to do this again soon?” Her eyes widen in surprise at the fact that he’s clearly on the same wavelength as her, and his cheeks redden slightly. “I just thought, you know, so the dogs can hang out again. They seem to really like each other. And you know, it’d be nice to see you again. It’s been really nice talking to you.”

It’s her turn to blush now and she pulls out her phone. They exchange numbers, and as they say goodbye, he smiles at her so warmly that she can’t even feel the chill that’s been setting in with the setting sun.

Both her and Dio glance over their shoulders one last time as they walk away.

She smiles when she notices both Bee and Poe do the same.

***

Rey’s never seen her little dog as energetic as she was as they approached the park, the dachshund practically frolicking around her feet the entire way there.

Rey unclips the leash once they’re inside the gate and breathes a sigh of relief that she had managed not to trip over the small dog. But she smiles as she sees Dio speed off, a familiar corgi rushing over to join her, and Dio continues to frolic, just this time around a pair of furred legs.

Then she sees Poe sitting on a nearby bench, his hand raised in greeting.

She waves back, her heart speeding up in her chest. She wonders if this is how Dio feels when she sees Bee.

As she walks over, she sees Dio trot towards Poe, Bee on her heels. Dio nudges Poe’s hand before bracing her front paws on his leg and eagerly accepting scratches behind her ears from him. Rey’s proud of Dio. The skittish dachshund is still getting used to humans other than her, and she can’t help but smile at the affection between Poe and Dio, now that the little dog considers him a friend.

She’s so caught up in watching Dio that she startles when a wet nose bumps into her hand. She looks down and sees Bee, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he pants happily. Rey kneels down and rubs beneath his chin, laughing as the corgi licks her cheek.

After the dogs have greeted them, they scamper off once more and she joins Poe on the bench. Poe’s brought snacks and he shares them with her. They sit close together on the bench, their thighs just mere centimeters apart and she wishes that she could bring herself to close the gap, close it as easily as the two dogs have come together, no shame or worry in showing affection, and _would he even want that with her_?

Instead she sits and watches as the two dogs cuddle together in the last remnants of the sunshine, and she and Poe talk and talk and talk, and it’s been ages since she’s told anyone so much, and the sun goes down . . .

They’re the last to leave the park.

At least this time when they part, they already have a plan to meet again.

***

Dio practically hops at the front door, her nose continuously bumping against the leash hanging on the wall as Rey rushes to put on her shoes.

“I know, I know, Dio. Just one minute, I promise,” she trails off, struggling to find her keys, _she just had them _…

“Aha! Here we go!” She grabs the keys and clips on Dio’s leash and they rush out the door.

She’s usually a firm believer in that if you’re early then you’re right on time, and if you’re on time then you’re late, but she got caught up talking with her professor at his office hours earlier, and now not only is she late to meet Poe, but Dio is clearly upset with Rey for making her late to meet with Bee.

Then her phone chimes and it’s a text from Poe. He’s running late too, but he’s on his way.

She grins. Maybe she’s right on time then.

Despite Rey’s attempts to calm Dio down (and to explain that Bee and Poe are running late too, but this is a little too advanced for Dio to understand), the dachshund hustles her along to the dog park. Rey’s honestly amazed at the amount of strength contained in Dio’s small — but long — body.

Then as they turn the corner Dio bolts, and it takes everything Rey has just to hold on to the leash as she attempts to keep up with her dog.

Thankfully Dio stops . . . just not in time to stop her from colliding with Poe.

His arm goes around her waist to prevent her from tipping over while she grips at his shoulder, all the while the two dogs playfully jump at each other near their feet.

She’s about to apologize, for herself or Dio or maybe both, she doesn’t really know, but Poe beats her to it.

“I’m so sorry! I think Bee saw Dio and he just took off running, I couldn’t stop him in time—”

“No, no,” she hurriedly goes to interrupt him. “Dio was dragging me. For such a small dog, I had no idea she was so strong.”

Poe laughs. “Bee gets excited, but I’ve honestly never seen him this excited. I thought he was going to take my arm off!”

“But Dio’s like — like two pounds! I can’t believe it!”

They’re both laughing at their dogs’ antics when they come to the realization that they’re still standing close, holding on to the other. Poe’s arm drops from her waist as she releases his shoulder, and she looks down to chastise Dio when she realizes that the two dogs are now patiently sitting next to their feet, eyes wide and innocent.

She thinks they almost look _too _innocent.

But that can’t be right.

The four of them make their way inside the gate. Dio and Bee are let off their leashes and Poe follows her to an empty bench nearby.

It’s silent at first. Neither one talks. She desperately casts about for something to say to break the sudden tension, glances at him out of the corner of her eye . . .

And spies him doing the same to her.

They break out in laughter and the tension quickly dissipates. They fall easily into conversation, even if there is still something simmering just underneath.

This time when the sun begins its descent, they’re sitting close, knees just barely pressed together, when they see Bee and Dio only a few yards away from them, the smaller dog nestled into the larger dog’s side, both as content as could be. They just lay there, ignoring the other dogs that pass by as they continue to gaze at their owners.

The conversation falls silent as Poe and Rey look back at them.

“Is it just me or does it feel like they’re trying to set us up?” Poe asks, a slowly widening grin appearing on his face. “Especially with that thing earlier . . .”

“It was like something out of a movie!” She laughs. “I’m starting to get the impression that these two are trying to tell us something.”

Poe shrugs and turns that grin towards her. “Well, they’re both clearly very intelligent dogs. Who am I to disagree with them?”

She remembers the first time they met, her shyness and hesitation in introducing herself to him, in asking for his number or to set up a play date for their dogs.

She doesn’t hesitate this time. “Would you like to get coffee?”

That grin of his turns into a full-blown smile. “I would love to,” he says, and she feels her heart skip a beat.

“I know this cute little shop just down the street. They let dogs on the patio.”

He stands and holds out his hand to her. “Lead the way.”


End file.
